NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion University women’s soccer team (0-6-0) returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Penn (4-0-0) at the ODU Soccer Complex. For Old Dominion, this will be their first time back on their home field since September 6 against George Washington.

The Lady Monarchs, whose young squad boasts 11 freshmen, were defeated by former conference-rival George Mason (2-3-1) by a score of 3-0 last Saturday in Fairfax, Va. After a goal in the 21st minute by Kelly Pizzingrilli, the Patriots entered halftime with a 1-0 lead despite the Lady Monarchs holding the advantage in both shots and corners.

In the second half, George Mason’s Paige Babel was able to capitalize on a free kick, finding Danielle O’Brien who served the ball to Liz Hodges for her second goal of the season. Then in the 79th minute the Patriots struck again, extending their lead to three after a Jazmin Cardoso score.

Penn heads into Sunday’s contest with an unblemished record of 4-0-0. Impressively, the Quakers have yet to surrender a single goal after their first four games, a statistic that has only happened four times in program history. They are fresh off a 1-0 victory over Saint Joseph’s last Sunday, September 15. On Friday, September 13, the Quakers outlasted 2013 CAA runner-up Drexel with a thrilling 1-0 victory in double overtime. In each of their first two games, Penn was able to rack up four goals in victories over Saint Peter’s and Mount St. Mary’s, respectively.

Leading the way on the pitch for the Quakers is freshman defender Tahirih Nesmith, who has already compiled three goals in her first four collegiate games. The Penn women’s soccer team is coached by Darren Ambrose in his 13th year. At the helm of the Quakers, Ambrose is the program’s winningest coach and has never turned in a losing season. He has also led three squads to EIWA titles and coached four teams to NCAA tournament berths.

Also on Penn’s trip to Virginia, the Quakers will play William and Mary on Friday night in Williamsburg. The Tribe and Penn are set to begin action at 7 p.m.

The Series with Old DominionThe Quakers and the Monarchs have only met twice, and they came in consecutive years (1995 and 1996). Penn won the first meeting, in Philadelphia, by a 2-1 score. The next season, these teams played in a tournament at William & Mary and ODU won, 3-2. This will be the Quakers’ first trip to Norfolk.

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